Traitor In Our Midst
by Scarlett Rogue
Summary: Dalton's principle threatens to disband the Warblers when one challenges the zero-tolerance harassment policy. Now, they must find and reveal the traitor, or lose everything trying.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary****:****Dalton's principle threatens to disband the Warblers when one challenges the zero-tolerance harassment policy. Now, they must find and reveal the traitor, or lose everything trying.**

**Rated: T for occasional language and suggestive comments**

**Warnings: OC's ahead. Not too many, just to fill in nameless Warblers. Also, this takes place when Kurt was still at Dalton, LONG before Original Song. Has nothing to do with that episode. At all.  
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**Thank you everyone who read "Never Too Late." Your feedback was amazing and I'm going to miss writing for you guys. This is one that I wrote almost a year ago, and I've decided to unleash it from it's burial place in the document uploader. Please Review and let me know if you'd like me to continue. If not, I'm pulling it permanently. Enkoy! :)  
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Dalton was possibly the safest school in the state. High tuition fees made it hard for anyone to try to break the strict code of good behavior, and no one had been stupid enough to challenge it yet. But that was all about to change, as Kurt was about to find out.

Kurt weaved his way through crowds of teenage boys, heading to the cafeteria to meet up with Blaine, David and Wes. They wanted to discuss a possible duet for he and Blaine to sing at Regionals, something they had never done before, so Kurt was in a bit of a hurry. So much of a hurry, in fact, that at first he thought it was an accident.

Red liquid seemed to come out of nowhere and hit him in the face. It didn't take Kurt long to identify the sticky, sweet-smelling liquid that had just been launched at him as red slushy from the snack bar. He sighed as it dribbled down his red and black blazer and reached up to run his hands through his bangs, something he did whenever something in his life went wrong. And that was when he felt it. Slushy in his hair. _Oh hell no, I demand an apology for this! _

Kurt turned, expecting to find the person standing before him ready to apologize. Instead he felt someone push against his so hard that he lost his balance and fell to the floor. He got up fast, swinging around to see who did it, but found nothing. Nothing suspicious, that is. Only a group of concerned boys ready to be helpful.

"Hey, you okay?" Luke, a fellow Warbler, helped him gather his books. His light blue eyes had a hard edge in them that he had never seen before.

"Yeah, fine. Dandy. Perfect." Kurt tried to brush it off, but he had always had a bit of a temper, so his efforts didn't last long. "What the hell was that for!" The two boys headed towards the cafeteria.

"I...don't know why it happened here, and I didn't see who did it, but...I heard someone yelling 'fag' down the hallway. I'm pretty sure he was the same one who did this." Kurt nodded slowly and couldn't contain himself from asking the next question.

"What happened to Dalton's strict zero-tolerance harassment policy?"

"Not everyone who comes to Dalton agrees with the policy, but they learn to live with it. Maybe this was just a one-time thing. Take it easy." Luke waved as Kurt headed to his usual table. Wes was tapping his toe impatiently; he hadn't gotten a good look at his friend yet.

"I hope you have a damn good reason for being _this _late, Hummel, or I may rethink that part about you being in a duet for Regionals."

"Oh my god, what happened?" Of course Blaine was the first to actually notice Kurt. He usually was. Kurt smiled big when Wes' jaw dropped.

"I had a run-in with a boy who obviously forgot that this is Dalton and running down the halls throwing slushy at people and calling them a fag isn't in season here." Kurt slammed his bag on the table and dug through it until he found his comb and a compact mirror. He then proceeded to brush the slushy out of his carefully styled hair.

"Wow. Do you know who did it?" David sat down on the other side of Kurt and eyed his hair skeptically, watching it get more sticky by the second.

"If I did I would have told you, David. Damn! I feel like I just came from slime-time."

"That show hasn't been on in ages. I can't believe you still remember it." Blaine was watching Kurt's grooming attempts with an amused smile.

"Well, it was a fond past-time of mine, before I discovered-"

"Playgirl?" Wes cut in with a smirk. He laughed when Kurt's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I was going to say Vogue, actually. Bloody hell!" Kurt threw his hands up in frustration. The slushy had dried in his hair as he tried to style it and now resembled a cross between Sanjiya and Cruella de vil. Blaine grabbed his water bottle and tilted Kurt's head back.

"Hold still." Slowly he drizzled the cold water on Kurt's head and, grabbing the comb out of his hand, began combing his hair back into a very Kurt-approved style.

"This isn't the first I've heard on this account, actually," Blaine said while running his fingers through Kurt's light brown hair. Kurt shuddered under his casual touch but forced himself to focus on his words, not his hands. Or more specifically, where his hands could be...

"What else have you heard?"

"Derek found some graffiti on his door yesterday. 'Fag'. It seems we have a homophobe at Dalton. Principle Joseph will find out who it is and put a stop to it soon enough." Blaine gave Kurt's hair one more quick run-through with his long fingers before handing the comb back to him and taking a seat in front of his uneaten lunch.

"There, you're perfect again."

"Thanks," Kurt said with a radiant smile.

"No problem. Though, I admit, I kind of preferred the sex hair." Blaine laughed as Kurt flicked him in the ear playfully.

Later that day the Warblers' rehearsal saw a surprise visitor in the form of Principle Joseph. He waited until everyone sat down and became quiet before taking the floor.

"I know you've all heard about the incidents that took place today and yesterday. Now, I know 99% of the people in this room don't need the reminder, but for the other one percent that insists on breaking the rules, I should just remind you that this is not a public school. If you break the rules at Dalton you leave and you don't come back. This school was built on the grounds of equality, acceptance, and compassion for your fellow beings, regardless of what they may be, and I will not tolerate one rebellious teen trying to change the rules after all these years."

"If you don't mind me asking, Sir, why are _we_ specifically being told this?" David ventured to ask the question that was on almost everyone's mind.

"Because, David, I have just been informed that the student in question is a Warbler." Silence filled the room as everyone looked around in disbelief. The Warblers were probably the most well-behaved students in the school.

"Now, I don't want to punish all of you for one persons mistakes, but it needs to be stopped." He took at deep breath, half leaning out the door, and Kurt could feel the power of foreshadowing in the air. It was practically tangible at this point.

"If it continues, I'll be forced to disband the Warblers." With this little drop of the ball Principle Joseph left the room, closing the doors behind him. Everyone sat in silence for a few seconds before being able to speak.

"Anyone wanna come forward? Give themselves up?" Wes stood up and folded his arms. From this angle he towered over everyone, looking even more intimidating than he usually did. Nobody said anything and he let out a sigh.

"Fine, don't say anything. Just, whoever did it, stop. You've had your fun. If you keep it up, the rest of the Warblers will find out, and we will turn you in." With one last dangerous look around he motioned for everyone to get out of their seats and warm up for rehearsal.

Kurt took his place next to Blaine and they stretched in silence, getting ready for their duet dance practice. After several minutes of wordless communication Kurt turned to Blaine and whispered in his ear, "They wouldn't really break up Warblers for one persons actions, would they?"

Blaine wanted to tell him no, that it was insane, but he had never seen a look of determination so strong in the principle's eyes.

"I think...that we'll never find out the answer to that question. Because we won't let it get that far."

**So, should I continue? Let me know, hope you enjoyed this!**

**~Alex**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's about damn time I wrote the second chapter for this, since you guys asked for it. Apologies for the long wait. College, you know? I won't be uploading all that often (as you could probably already tell) but I'll try to always have atleast one of my five multi-chapter stories updated at all times. ENJOY! **

**P.S. I know the last chapter was Kurt-centric, as well as Klaine mentioning, but every chapter won't be like that. It will focus on different characters in the Warblers. But Klaine will still be there. Breathe easy.**

Jeff walked briskly through the halls of Dalton, pushing passed boys here and there in the midst of the Friday rush. In a few hours the school would be very empty, as most people went home for the weekend. Jeff almost always stayed; he loved his family dearly, but two days with them drove him up a wall.

Jeff liked dorming at Dalton because it gave him the chance to become independent, something he would not have been able to achieve living at home with his strick father and his loving but overbearing mother. He had too many rules, and being at Dalton cut them in half. He could make his own schedule and stick to it, and if there was an emergency meeting in a friend's room, he could go to it. Even if he didn't want to. Or had better things to do.

_Thanks, Wesley._

Jeff knocked loudly on Wes' door, not even trying to be polite. He had asked Nick four days ago if he'd like to go out tonight with him, their first official date, and Wes promptly cancelled that by demanding that they both come to his room. Jeff got the text only fifteen minutes ago. He couldn't figure out what was so urgent that Wes needed immediate action from only a small portion of the Warblers.

When David opened the door for him Jeff saw that the room was very dark. Wes apparently pulled the curtains shut and turned off all the lights. Minimal light poured in from the edges of the window, enough for Jeff to see Blaine, Kurt, Thad and Nick sitting on beds of on the floor. Kurt was leaning against Blaine ever so slightly, as if he didn't realize he was doing it. Thad paced around the room and Wes was sitting on his bed, ominous gavel in hand.

Nick was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his pale arms wrapped around a pillow. Jeff sat down next to him in the eerie silence and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Can you believe this? Of all days, did it _have_ to be tonight?" Nick sneered at the pillow. Jeff leaned over and placed a soft kiss upon his forehead.

"There's always tomorrow, sweetie. This has to be important." Even as he spoke, he couldn't push away the bitterness behind his words, which made Nick giggle softly.

"Alright!" Wes hollared, causing everyone everyone jump. "I've called this emergency meeting to discuss the new installment of our predicament."

"Um, what?" Blaine muttered. His eyelids were half-closed, and Jeff knew it was because of the darkness. Darkness always made Blaine really tired.

"Our predicament," - Wes flicked on his light - "being the homophobe running rampent in our halls. There has been a new installment."

"Really? What is it this time?"

"This." Wes pulled a box from under his bed. The boys perked up, wondering what their T-shirt box was doing in Wes' room. "I confiscated the box when a Warbler brought his shirt to me in shock. I checked them all. They all say the same thing." He pulled out one of the shirts that the Warblers usually wore during their Summer trips, and held the back facing them.

"How positively classy!" Kurt spat out sarcastically. Jeff felt the heat rising on his face.

On each of the shirt backs, written in dripping red paint, were the words 'The warblers are going to hell.'

"As you can see, the Dean was right. This _is _a Warbler. Only Warblers have access to that supply closet in the Rehearsal room.

"But why would someone ever join the Warblers if they hated it so much? Why not stay away?" Nick asked.

"Sneaky tactics. It's like any good game of tag. Pretend you're one of them, and you can break them down faster and easier from the inside. You draw less attention to yourself, as well." Jeff said. Wes was nodding along with him.

"So what are we going to do?" Thad was still pacing, chewing on a pencil all the while.

"Here's the issue," Wes threw the shirt back in the box and sat down on his bed with a sigh. "You're all here because I know I can trust you fully. Of course, Trent and Cooper should be here as well, but they went home for the weekend. But that's it. Out of twenty-five Warblers, I only trust eight. And that bothers me. I need all of you to make me a promise."

Everyone nodded slowly, staring around the room at each other.

"Promise me that you'll keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, anyone you think may be up to something. If they seem suspicious, report it to me right away. Even if they're your friends. We have worked too hard to lose it all over one person. We _can't _let them win." Everyone nodded again and Wes told them they could leave.

"I cannot believe this." You could always tell when Kurt was upset because he starting walking inhumanly fast. Which was exactly what he was doing at the moment. Poor Nick and Blaine had to practically run to keep up, while Jeff simply took longer strides.

"Don't worry, we'll find out who- _oofh._" Jeff ran into someone and they toppled over. He found his limbs tangled with those of Casey, a Senior Warbler who had just transferred in the beginning of the school year.

"Sorry Jeff!" Casey blushed and removed himself from the younger boy, helping him up off the ground. "Really, I didn't see you there."

"Hey, no blood, no fowl! What were you running for?" Casey bend down, put his hands on his knees, and took a few deep breaths before straightening up.

"There's something...in the rehearsal room. I was going to tell Wes. Someone did something."

**Dun dun dun duuuuuu! Once more, sorry this took so long. I'm glad I wrote this though, because it was weirdly fun to write. I guess I've been doing so much academic writing lately that i miss just writing for fun. Anyway, REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! Thanks for all your awesome reviews! I decided to post this sooner than planned because I realized how much I've missed writing for people. So, hope you enjoy!**

The group of guys made their way quickly to Wes' room to report the 'incident'. The fact that only one of them actually knew what the incident was mattered little. Casey looked disturbed, and he was stuttering more than he usually did. The only other time the Warblers saw him like this was when they went on a plane together and Casey almost passed out from fright.

"What's going on?" Wes swung the door open in response to Nick's firm kick.

"Rehearsal room, now!" Wes was all business, locking his door in less than two seconds and marching ahead of the other boys with aggression.

"Um, guys? I actually need to go...do something. I'll meet you there." Without waiting for an answer, Kurt spun around and wondered back toward Wes' room.

They continued on to the rehearsal room, shiny shoes squeaking against the floor. Wes pushed the doors open and stopped so suddenly that Blaine didn't have time to stop. He kept walking, and suddenly his feet were gone from under him. He was sailing through the air, head aiming for the ground, when Wes and David caught him only inches from the ground. They pulled him up quickly and he stood still to survey the room.

Red paint. He had slipped on red paint. It was splattered all over the floor in giant piles. The words it spelled out, however, were very obvious.

"I guess the same person who ruined the shirts did this," Wes muttered.

"But how is that possible? How did they have time to do both without anyone noticing?" Casey's voice shook as he spoke.

"Maybe there was more than one." Blaine ran his fingers through his gelled hair and sighed. "Well, atleast nobody slipped and died."

"What the hell was up with Kurt?" Wes asked suddenly.

In the heat of finding out what else was happening, none of the guys questioned by Kurt up and left so suddenly. It seemed strange that, with everything happening, something would just come up randomly. Blaine could tell by the look in Wes' eyes that he didn't trust the situation.

"I'm sure he had a legitimate reason for leaving," Blaine said softly.

"Yes. Like tampering with Warbler property, perhaps?" Wes walked around the wet paint slowly.

"Oh, come on Wes! Not even ten minutes ago you said you trusted Kurt! You don't seriously think-"

"I don't know _what _to think, Nicholas! All I know is that Kurt is being suspicious, and unfortunately...that makes him a suspect."

Blaine pushed himself off the couch and away from Nick, who looked like he wanted to keep arguing.

"No," Blaine spat out. "Kurt wouldn't do that!"

"You don't know that, Blaine! You don't know him as well as you think." Blaine glared at Wes and turned his back on the older boy.

Kurt would never do such a thing. Why, he spent years being bullied for his sexuality at McKinley! What made Wes think he would turn around and do the same thing to others? He wouldn't.

But, then again-

Blaine shook his head and pushed the thought away. Not _his _Kurt.

"Face it, Blaine," David said softly, standing behind his friend. "How much do we really know about Kurt's past? Was he really bullied? Did he really come to Dalton to get away from hatred? You have to remember, New Directions are our enemies, our competition. What if Kurt is just working for them? What if he joined Warblers to break us down from within? Face it, he has a great cover story."

"No, there's proof! The jock who bullied him-"

"Could have easily been in on it, or been payed to do it. Honestly, we know _nothing _about McKinley, or it's students. We know _nothing_ about Kurt."

Blaine didn't know why, but he felt hot tears spring into his eyes. He hated thinking that soft, gentle Kurt could do something so...so _evil_. But they were right. Kurt was a suspect.

The boys spun around upon hearing another pair of shoes squeaking against the floor, heading toward them. The walk was softer than most boys, and Blaine blushed when he instantly pinpointed it as Kurt. He saw out of the corner of his eyes Wes changing his stance to a more serious, imposing figure. He wanted to interrogate Kurt, that much was obvious.

"Hi guys, so what's the emer-" They all figured that Kurt knew about the paint. They all thought he would stop at the door. And despite the fact that Wes jumped across the room, Jeff threw himself on the ground, and Blaine lunged toward Kurt, none of them were fast enough to break his fall. Kurt slipped on the paint and went flying back, only there was nobody to catch him.

Blaine's heart twisted in his chest as he watched, almost in slow motion, Kurt's head colliding with the edge of a table. Time seemed to speed up as Kurt's body slumped to the ground, his eyes shut and his figure limp.

"Kurt!" Blaine pushed passed Jeff's shocked form and knelt beside Kurt. He grabbed Kurt's head gently and lifted it slightly to see what damage had been done. Kurt's head landed on a clean part of the ground, and yet his hair was coated in thick red liquid. Blaine let out a sob before pulling off his blazer and pressing it against the open gash. He was barely aware of Wes rapidly telling 911 what had happened, or Jeff checking Kurt's pulse and heart-rate. His own words kept flashing through his head.

_Atleast nobody slipped and died._

Nobody thought Kurt did this now. He couldn't have known.

**I was feeling rather dramatic today and watching I Am Unicorn twice, so I hope it ended up okay. Please tell em your thoughts, aka REVIEW! Seriously, the faster you review, the faster the next chapter will be posted. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry guys, this wasn't supposed to take so long but I've been preparing for Finals so my writing has been coming out slowly. I actually considered starting a new chapter fic but decided not to because I didn't want any others to become a priority over this one. Hope you enjoy!

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><p>"C-can you slide these on that table?" Casey sputtered out, holding a dozen flowers in his nervous hands. David places them on the corner table next to all the others. The room was starting to smell like flowers, giving Blaine an even bigger headache. He spent the last hour sitting next to Kurt's bed, feeling completely useless, while a nurse refused to tell him how bad Kurt was because they weren't related. He also had the privilege of listening to the Warbler's debate the entire situation and give a second-by-second account of the incident. And to top it all off, Burt was here.<p>

Boy, was he _pissed_.

"So you're tellin' me that I'm paying an arm and a leg so my boy can be safe in school, and now he's unconscious in a hospital bed because of _bullying!_" Burt could barely keep his voice down, and as the conversation with the Dean progressed he stopped trying.

"I'm terribly sorry, Sir," Blaine heard Dean Joseph say for what seemed like the hundredth time. "I have no intention of letting anything like this happen again, I can assure you. We _will _be getting to the bottom of this." His voice turned hard and Blaine hung his head. He knew _exactly _what "getting to the bottom of this" would entail.

_Good-bye Warblers._

No, he would not give up that easily. This was his home, his family. The Warblers gave him a home when he had no where else to go. He had come to Dalton a year ago sporting several bruises, a broken heart, and a face that refused to smile. One by one, these boys broke through his silence and showed him that he didn't have to be alone anymore. They gave him a place to feel accepted, a place where he could smile and never have to worry if someone would beat the smile right off his face. He was _not _going to give that up without a good fight.

"Boys, please leave so Mr. Hummel can have some alone time with his son." The Dean's face was gentle but pained and Blaine knew why. Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand once more and got up from his seat next to the bed, nodding slightly to Burt as they passed each other. He left the room with his friends and they all circled around the Dean silently.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Dean Joseph was standing painfully still with his hands clasped behind his back, not looking any of them in the eyes.

"Yes," Blaine said softly. "Means someone needs to get the hell out of our school _right now._" The other boys nodded and muttered their agreement. The Dean was shaking his head.

"No, that isn't what I meant. I meant-"

"I know what you meant, Dean Joseph. And, with all due respect, I strongly disagree." Wes and David were looking at him like he had gone insane. Nobody interrupted the Dean unless they wanted detention for the next month.

"Blaine, you don't understand." He sighed with exasperation. The sound reminded him of whenever he talked to his father and his father would sigh and tell him that he was too young to understand. Maybe that's why Blaine's blood was boiling. "That kid-"

"I know what happened to him. I was there, remember? And he isn't just some _kid_, his name is Kurt." Blaine ignored the gasps coming from the other boys and took a step toward the Dean. "_You _don't understand. Ever since the Warblers formed they were a source of freedom for boys who felt suffocated by life. Now you're going to take that freedom away because one boy has completely lost his mind?"

"What else would you have me do, Blaine? What else _can_ I do?"

"What makes you think disbanding the Warblers will stop him, anyway? He'll just target other groups in the school. It doesn't end when we do. The only thing _we _can do is find this boy and turn him in, and we _can't _find him unless the Warblers stay together."

The Dean eyed him for a few seconds, perhaps testing his resolve. Now that Blaine was calmed down a bit he was internally freaking out at almost yelling at his Dean. He had never done such a thing.

"Keep your friends close..." Wes muttered behind him. The Dean heard him and nodded.

"And your enemies closer," he finished, as if he was talking to himself. He started pacing and seemed to have forgotten that the boys were there watching him until a few minutes later.

"Okay, I won't disband the Warblers. But I need all of you to do everything in your power to find this boy. I give you permission to bend the Dalton Rules as you see fit. Be sneaky, and make sure you find this kid. I want the boy who did this in my office in less than two weeks. No more students will be harmed at our school." He nodded firmly to the boys and then turned and left.

Blaine held his breath as he watched the Dean walk away. Had they really gotten this lucky?

"Blaine, where did _that _come from?" David said, his eyebrows raised so far that they almost touched his forehead. The other boys were smiling and patting him on the back.

"I...really don't know."

"Well, way to go! If I had my gavel with me I'd bang it in your honor." Wes smiled brightly at his friend.

"Ugh, good thing you don't have your gavel. Nobody wants to watch you bang anything!" Jeff said, earning himself a smack on the head from Wes.

Kurt's door opened and his father walked out. He came right up to Blaine.

"Kurt's awake. He wants to talk to you."


End file.
